Kari Plog

Digital Content Manager

Kari Plog is an eager newcomer to public radio and a longtime admirer. Her background as a print journalist started at The News Tribune in Tacoma, where she covered government and communities across Pierce County.

Her work included an award-winning investigation into a deadly boat launch in Tacoma. Before joining KNKX in November 2018, Kari worked for her alma mater, Pacific Lutheran University, where she served as senior editor of the institution’s magazine, producing long-form storytelling from Parkland to Norway.

Kari also worked for several years as a college newspaper adviser at the University of Puget Sound, and continues to serve as a passionate advocate for aspiring journalists and student media. She’s a lover of orca whales, wine and Prince. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and their lovable 75-pound lapdog, Bernie.

KNKX environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp takes a boat tour of Commencement Bay with David Bean, chairman of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and Melissa Malott, executive director of Citizens for a Healthy Bay.

David Bean remembers when his family didn’t have enough room for all the salmon in their boat.

“We caught so much fish that we had to call folks to bring their skiffs over,” said Bean, chairman of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. “I remember one, we overflowed that skiff so much to one side it flipped over and we lost one skiff-load of salmon. But we still had three.”

The waters in and around Tacoma have changed since then. Still, efforts made in recent years have spurred progress.

Deanna Bender, owner of Over The Moon Cafe in Tacoma, talks with KNKX's Kari Plog about how the handwritten notes in the boxes got started after opening her restaurant in Opera Alley more than 18 years ago. KNKX's Geoffrey Redick produced this story.

Imagine writing a letter about the love of your life addressed to a complete stranger.

The object of your affection may only read it once, or not at all. But it’s almost certain that dozens of people you’ve never met — maybe hundreds — will know exactly how you’re feeling at that moment.

Filmmaker and Grand Cinema board member Jamika Scott talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about why the nonprofit theater is special. This segment was produced by Ariel Van Cleave and Geoffrey Redick.

The Grand Cinema is more than a theater — it’s like Tacoma’s living room. It’s where people come together not only to watch and appreciate films, but also to engage in conversation with their neighbors about those films.

“There are a lot of theaters where movies are played,” said Jamika Scott, a board member for the nonprofit, in a conversation with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick. “But the difference is The Grand is an organization that was bred out of love for the community, and is sustained by the community.”

Tacoma is a pretty special place. We don’t want to romanticize it — it’s complicated, like anywhere. But it does have this quality of openness, a willingness to let people in.

That’s exactly what the Sound Effect team did on Saturday. Gabriel Spitzer hosted a special, live show from KNKX Public Radio’s new downtown Tacoma station, while strangers wandered around on self-guided tours of the space.

And the doors will stay open long past Saturday's grand opening. The new station offers a place to convene community conversations, share culture and just meet up.

In honor of our debut at 930 Broadway, the latest episode of Sound Effect is all about Tacoma.

Sports commentator Art Thiel talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about the Seahawks' latest moves that have given the team's outlook a boost ahead of the season opener.

The Seahawks open their regular season at home on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals. It will be the first time fans will see the team’s newest acquisition, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, in action. KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel says Clowney has changed his whole outlook on the team’s chances this year.

In this first segment in a three-part series, environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp introduces the polarizing debate over an LNG facility that's under construction in Tacoma. This segment was produced by Ariel Van Cleave.

Editor's note: This series originally published May 22. Environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp was in Tacoma on Tuesday covering the latest developments, including an anti-LNG march and a public hearing related to permits for the proposed project. Listen to her coverage on All Things Considered today and Morning Edition tomorrow, and revisit previous coverage (updates at the bottom of this post).

Puget Sound Energy CEO Kimberly Harris wasn’t surprised to receive a call from Gov. Jay Inslee the afternoon of May 8. But she was surprised to hear what he had to say.

The Seattle Seahawks open the regular season at home Sept. 8, and football fans have plenty of NFL matchups to keep them satiated through the new year. But what happens when February rolls around? Next year, fans have a new professional team to look forward to, and sports commentator Art Thiel tells Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick that it should be a legitimate league.

Today is the deadline to turn in primary election ballots. Our reporters have identified key races to watch in the Puget Sound region. Revisit our relevant coverage, and watch for updates on results and reaction. First results drop around 8 p.m., and we’ll update this post with the latest in the coming days. (Last update Aug. 15, 4:40 p.m.)

New Cool host Abe Beeson talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about the legacy of Tula's Restaurant and Jazz Club in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. This segment was produced by Geoffrey Redick.

September marks the end of an era for Seattle jazz performers and fans: the closure of Tula’s Restaurant and Jazz Club in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. It’s a real blow to jazz in Seattle, says Abe Beeson, KNKX’s resident jazz expert and host of The New Cool.

KNKX Public Radio talks with two reporters who have followed the journey of Edgar Martinez, the former Seattle Mariners designated hitter who is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick, and Seattle Times columnist and author Larry Stone talks with All Things Considered host Ed Ronco.

Edgar Martinez, the beloved designated hitter who spent his entire career with the Seattle Mariners, will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend.

Finally.

“It took 10 years for the baseball world to understand Edgar’s contribution and status,” KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel told Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick in their weekly chat.

Sitting in an emergency room, trying to catch his breath, Paul Currington had one thought playing over and over in his mind: “Please, God, please don’t let my last thoughts on Earth be of my mother.”

They weren’t his last thoughts, especially of his mother.

Growing up, Currington’s mother smoked two to three packs a day — always enveloped in clouds of smoke. She had a volcanic temper, he says: “I would do anything to not have to go home so I wouldn’t have to show up in her crosshairs.”

When you look back at things, from a perspective of a new time and place, they tend to look different. That’s our theme for the latest episode of Sound Effect, “Benefit of Hindsight” — how a little time passing can reveal the things we were once blind to.

Gov. Jay Inslee continues his latest presidential campaign trip with a stop in Detroit today. Meanwhile, here in Washington state, there is good news for people who purchase individual health insurance. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins talks about both in his weekly chat with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

Thomas Kyle-Milward wears a tie to work, but deep down he’s still a farm boy.

Kyle-Milward grew up on a small family farm outside Portland, Oregon. The farm had its own rhythm: morning and evening chores, planting, harvest. And every year — the Columbia County Fair.

Kyle-Milward is building a life in urban Tacoma now, but he still makes it out for the fair each summer. And, as he’ll proudly share, he brings along bragging rights as the 2014 wild cow milking champion.

Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about his reporting on a new vape-product tax that Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to sign today, along with several other bills.

Gov. Jay Inslee will be signing several bills today, including one that allows a new tax on vaping products. The money will be used to fund cancer research and tobacco cessation and prevention efforts. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins talked about his reporting on the subject with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy talks with All Things Considered host Ed Ronco about the work of her office. This segment was produced by KNKX's Geoffrey Redick.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from Wapato City Administrator Juan Orozco. KNKX reached him after our broadcast deadline.

State auditors don’t normally make house calls. But the unprecedented findings in a small Central Washington city earlier this month required a higher level of attention, Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy says.

“Wapato is a city in pretty dire crisis right now,” she told KNKX’s Ed Ronco. “This one really did rise to the level.”

Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates talks with All Things Considered host Ed Ronco. This segment was produced by KNKX's Geoffrey Redick.

There’s a reason Dominic Gates has stayed on the same beat at The Seattle Times for 16 years. The aerospace reporter says he’s fortunate to cover people across a wide spectrum of perspectives and life experiences: white collar engineers, blue collar manufacturers, corporate executives, scientists.

“My expertise comes from all the people I talk to,” Gates told All Things Considered host Ed Ronco in an interview about his Northwest aerospace coverage. “I like the people of Boeing.”

Residents who packed the Pierce County Council chambers agreed on at least one thing Tuesday: Chambers Bay Regional Park — including its accompanying championship-caliber golf course — is a jewel of the South Sound.

But five hours of polarizing public comment revealed that’s about where agreement stops when it comes to new plans for development there, and even supporters expressed reservations about the project.

Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins discusses the latest bills signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, as well as his presidential campaign, in his weekly chat with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

The Washington Legislature adjourned its regular session more than a week ago, but Gov. Jay Inslee has been busy signing bills passed by lawmakers. He’s also been out on the campaign trail in his bid for the presidency in 2020. Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins shares the latest in his weekly chat with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.

Environment reporter Bellamy Pailthorp talks with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick about the economics behind recycling and tips for doing it right after a "mock audit" of a recycling bin at a local coffee shop. Produced by Ariel Van Cleave.

But getting it right has become more difficult, after China stopped accepting most of our recyclable waste. With so much piling up, some worry if their careful efforts are ultimately keeping the items out of landfills.